


once more, we follow

by lilithiumwords



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Vicchan Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-09-01 05:44:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16759102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilithiumwords/pseuds/lilithiumwords
Summary: For reasons he can never explain, Viktor goes back in time to save someone.





	once more, we follow

**Author's Note:**

  * For [torimouto](https://archiveofourown.org/users/torimouto/gifts).



> _torimouto prompted: a YOI time travel au where Viktor is the one who goes back in time? Because I always see time travel where it’s both of them or just Yuuri going back in time but very few with just Viktor_

Viktor opens his eyes and looks around. His apartment in St. Petersburg -- but something is wrong. The blue blanket he bought months ago no longer hangs over the back of the couch. The set of matching mugs he fills with coffee every morning aren't in their usual place -- or in the apartment at all. The only coats on the rack by the door are his own, and the DVDs no longer contain a large collection of American and Japanese titles. Makkachin's blue collar is gone, bought for her birthday.

The worst is when he glances into his bathroom and finds only one set of toiletries. He stares at the plain gray toothbrush by the sink, thinking it looks lonely, then shakes his head and glances at his reflection. He has dark circles under his eyes from working himself too hard, from living under the shackles of his talent. Soon, he promises himself. Soon he can retire and change.

He pulls out his phone. November 29, 2015. His lips twitch with sadness. Today is Yuuri's birthday, and Viktor cannot embrace him, cannot kiss him or celebrate with him. His heart aches for a moment, but he made his decision long ago.

On a whim, he opens Instagram and holds up the camera to his window, then snaps a photo.

_**v-nikiforov** : a special sunrise on a special day, all for a special someone_

He smiles, posts the picture, and disappears into his bedroom to find his suitcase. He doesn't think about the flurry of social media activity his post will inspire, nor about his special person waking up to something like a birthday wish. His focus is on something more important.

Once he is packed, he books a ticket to Japan.

~*~

December begins with a few surprises: namely, that Yuuri wins gold over Michele Crispino's silver at Rostelcom, and that _v-nikiforov_ starts following him on Instagram.

The latter should be less impressive than the former. Yet the moment Yuuri notices that Viktor Nikiforov's personal account is following _him_ , Katsuki Yuuri, dime-a-dozen skater, he flails so badly that he nearly throws his phone into someone's face halfway across the room.

Yuuri makes his apologies, then retreats to the side of the rink, where his rinkmates are practicing for their next ice show. Having won gold at Rostelcom, Yuuri is supposed to be resting for the Grand Prix Final, but he still manages to sneak his way into the rink every day under Celestino's nose. He still can't believe he won gold -- though he fought hard for it. Michele gave him a lot of dirty looks with grudging respect.

Viktor just followed him. _Viktor_ , the person Yuuri has admired since he was a child, the very reason he is in this competition. How did Viktor even know he existed? Yuuri is nobody. They've barely crossed paths before -- maybe a few times at Worlds and the Olympics, but never at the GPF. This is Yuuri's first year to make it past his preliminaries. He doesn't exist to Viktor Nikiforov.

Except apparently, he does. Yuuri stares at the notification, debating what to do. He already follows Viktor, so it would be silly to unfollow then follow him back. But he wants to acknowledge the message somehow... since Viktor is so important to him. Maybe Yuuri should send him a message? No, absolutely not, he would actually lose his mind. Maybe he should like one of Viktor's posts?

His mind flashes back to last week, when he woke up to a post from Viktor about the sunrise, "on a special day, all for a special someone." Yuuri had known it wasn't for him, but seeing the message on his birthday had been really nice. He never lets himself like or comment on Viktor's posts, but...

With a small frown of determination, Yuuri goes to Viktor's Instagram and starts liking posts, his face slowly heating up at each small heart that fills the screen.

He still can't believe he won. Maybe it was just his own determination, so that he can reach the Grand Prix Final and skate against Viktor properly. Maybe it was just because of the series of photos Mari sent, of Vicchan playing with a bunch of red ribbon and looking adorable. Yuuri misses his dog -- and to his joy, he realizes that with this gold medal, he can finally go home. He can go see Vicchan for Nationals.

With a happy smile, Yuuri presses on the picture he posted this morning, the cutest of the bunch from Mari. When he checks the notes, Yuuri gets a third surprise.

 _ **v-nikiforov** commented: Your poodle is so darling! I love his fluffy ears_ ❤

Celestino calls Yuuri's name, which means he has finally been noticed. A little giddily, Yuuri presses on the heart next to the comment, then hurries over to his coach to explain his presence, too elated to be bothered when Celestino starts scolding him.

The GPF looks bright.

~*~

A week later, Yuuri goes to the GPF, and there, he meets Viktor Nikiforov in person.

He would be content to hide in the shadows and never talk to his idol, but Viktor seems to have other intentions. The second he spots Yuuri trying to camouflage himself beside a poster of Jean-Jacques Leroy while he queues, Viktor makes a beeline for him, calling his name across the busy floor.

"Yuuri! You're here!"

Heads turn immediately. Yuuri stands frozen, staring in shock as Viktor walks directly up to him, his eyes more blue than anything Yuuri has ever seen. 

"How was your flight? Have you checked into the hotel yet? Did you get your information packet? Oh! Have you seen the rink? It's your first time in Sochi, isn't it? Shall I show it to you?"

"I'm waiting in line for my badge," Yuuri says faintly, dismissing the rest of the barrage of questions as a hallucination. 

"Surely your coach should handle that," Viktor says, his gaze cutting to Celestino across the hall, talking to JJ and one of the other skaters. Yuuri shakes his head, bewildered.

"I'd prefer to get it on my own. He's busy, so..."

"Right," Viktor says after a moment, his smile returning. "Do you mind if I wait with you? I've already got my badge, but there's so much to talk about! It's so good to see you, Yuuri."

Yuuri wonders if he is still asleep. Maybe the chicken he ate on the flight over was bad, and this is a dream brought on by the onslaught of strange bacteria in his system. Surely Viktor Nikiforov is not standing beside him, chattering away about a number of things that Yuuri doesn't understand, as if they have been friends for a long time.

_It's so good to see you, Yuuri._

How does Viktor even know his name?

Resisting the urge to run away, Yuuri finally manages a small smile, not even knowing what to say. Even so, Viktor lights up at the response, a softer expression touching his face. He seems... different, from his interviews and videos. Like this is a new side to him, one that Yuuri has never seen before, which means no one else has ever seen it, either. A new side, just for him.

"It's good to see you too, Viktor," Yuuri says softly, his heart twisting when Viktor smiles at him, utterly beautiful. He is finally talking to his idol, who is a lot more human that Yuuri realized before. He thinks he likes this side of Viktor. Whether this is a dream or reality, Yuuri can only hope he doesn't embarrass himself.

Yuuri manages to gather his badge, information packet, and hotel room, all while Viktor stays by his side, until at last Viktor is called away by Yakov Feltsman. Viktor manages to get Yuuri's room number before he vanishes, promising to come see him later, which sends Yuuri into an anxious spiral at the thought of Viktor Nikiforov visiting _him_.

He needs to get to the ice. Only there can Yuuri make sense of his feelings, his situation. He needs to skate, to show Viktor why he came here, how determined he is. He won't be able to say it to Viktor's face, but... with his skating, he can show Viktor.

He won't give up.

~*~

What Yuuri doesn't know is this:

On November 29, 2015, at 7:15 PM local time, Viktor Nikiforov flies from St. Petersburg, Russia, to Hasetsu, Japan, and checks into Yuutopia for three days and two nights.

Yuuri's entire family recognizes him, having seen his face on Yuuri's walls for years. Viktor is honest about his intentions: he admires Yuuri's skating and heard about the inn, so he wanted to see where Yuuri grew up. Mari is a little wary, then charmed. Hiroko and Toshiya love Viktor immediately and spoil him for his entire stay. Viktor lets himself have one bowl of katsudon, then makes sure to eat within his diet for the rest of the visit. He still needs to skate against Yuuri at the GPF.

The entire time, Viktor pays special attention to Vicchan. He gets the story out of Mari on his second day: that Yuuri got Vicchan after Viktor got Makkachin, and that Vicchan was named in his honor. Viktor loves the little dog, who takes to following him around the inn everywhere he goes, to the point of sitting beside Viktor at meals and sneaking into his room to sleep beside him.

On December 1, Viktor spends the whole evening talking with Hiroko and Mari about Yuuri's childhood. He keeps Vicchan cuddled in his lap, scratching behind the poodle's ears and earning a friend for life. In telling Viktor stories about Yuuri and Vicchan's shenanigans, Mari forgets to take Vicchan on his evening walk.

Vicchan never dies. Yuuri never knows that heartache, and he never loses himself to his anxiety and pain. Viktor goes back to St. Petersburg with a smile on his face and a bunch of pictures of Vicchan on his phone. He follows Yuuri on Instagram a few days later.

~*~

Yuuri wins silver at the GPF, just a scant number of points beneath Viktor's gold. He goes home to Nationals in a daze, winning gold above Minami Kenjirou, then returns to Hasetsu in trumph.

The second Yuuri steps into Yuutopia, Vicchan leaps into his arms, licking his face all over, and Yuuri starts crying at holding his beloved dog again. He skated against Viktor, he won _silver_ and beat one of Viktor's records, and finally, he has the strange and tentative friendship of the person he has looked up to all his life. Now, he has his dog in his arms again after five years, and life has never been so good.

Viktor has been texting him, trying to convince Yuuri to come train with him in Russia. Yuuri has the strangest feeling that Viktor wants to coach him, which is one of Yuuri's most secret desires, but he has been resisting, because he still feels like he is dreaming when he opens his phone to find a message from Viktor.

He'll never know the sacrifices Viktor made, giving up a future where Yuuri lost more than he can know. Viktor never tells him what he lost when he came to the past. Maybe it doesn't matter in the end, anyway, because next season, Yuuri finally agrees to let Viktor coach him.

~*~

Vitkor looks around his apartment with a smile.

A blue blanket hangs over the back of the couch. A set of matching mugs are sitting on the counter, waiting to be filled with coffee. The coat rack by the door is filled with half a dozen coats, and his French DVDs are mixed with American and Japanese titles. Makkachin is wearing a new blue collar, matching Vicchan's smaller one, both bought just a few weeks ago for Makkachin's birthday.

Viktor finishes brushing his teeth and returns to the bathroom, setting his toothbrush beside a familiar blue one. He rinses his mouth, and smiles at his reflection, the circles under his eyes gone, the loneliness in his gaze erased by love. With happiness in his step, Viktor returns to the bedroom to wake his sleeping beauty, patting Vicchan on the head as he passes their dogs.

He has everything he wanted, now.

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to Auri for the toothbrushes. ;D
> 
> Let me know what you think! (*´♡`*)


End file.
